Annoying Questions I'd Like Answered...

Avoraciopoctules · Post by **Avoraciopoctules** » Mon Oct 27, 2014 8:31 pm

Does anyone know where I could find some maps of historical trade routes around the cities of Mecca and Medina after Muhammad's death (year 632 C.E.)? A general look at the physical geography would be helpful, too.

TiaC · Post by **TiaC** » Tue Oct 28, 2014 12:14 am

This is probably too zoomed out for you. https://mrgrayhistory.wikispaces.com/UNIT+2+-+ISLAM

Avoraciopoctules · Post by **Avoraciopoctules** » Tue Oct 28, 2014 6:04 am

It's not perfect, but having elevation levels and trade routes shown on the same map is actually pretty useful for my own cartographic project. Thank you!

Lago PARANOIA · Post by **Lago PARANOIA** » Wed Oct 29, 2014 6:25 pm

Is there a good, punchy definition of blowback that catches its nuances? The Google definition is 'the unintended adverse results of a political action or situation'. However:

[*] If a President gave a speech supporting diversity and it so incensed the Neo-nazi community that they activated their plant in the Secret Service and had him assassinated I doubt people would call that blowback.
[*] If a President gave a speech unequivocally supporting Israel's unprecedented bombing campaign of Gaza and he was later blown up in the office by Hamas people would call that blowback.

I mean, both were unintended and unforeseen, but they're not both blowback. Anyone want to take a crack at this?

ACOS · Post by **ACOS** » Wed Oct 29, 2014 7:13 pm

Lago PARANOIA wrote: Is there a good, punchy definition of blowback that catches its nuances?
[...]
Anyone want to take a crack at this?

I've always understood blowback as a function of what happens when you attempt to upset the status quo. Think Newton's 3rd Law.

/2cp

TiaC · Post by **TiaC** » Wed Oct 29, 2014 7:16 pm

Lago PARANOIA wrote:Is there a good, punchy definition of blowback that catches its nuances? The Google definition is 'the unintended adverse results of a political action or situation'. However:

[*] If a President gave a speech supporting diversity and it so incensed the Neo-nazi community that they activated their plant in the Secret Service and had him assassinated I doubt people would call that blowback.
[*] If a President gave a speech unequivocally supporting Israel's unprecedented bombing campaign of Gaza and he was later blown up in the office by Hamas people would call that blowback.

I mean, both were unintended and unforeseen, but they're not both blowback. Anyone want to take a crack at this?

Two thoughts on the difference:
One of those topics is broadly controversial, the other only cranks would object to.
Perhaps blowback only refers to actions undertaken by entities that could affect the politician without assassinating him. So, other government officials, foreign powers, and massive numbers of his constituents.

Neeeek · Post by **Neeeek** » Thu Oct 30, 2014 12:01 am

Lago PARANOIA wrote:Is there a good, punchy definition of blowback that catches its nuances? The Google definition is 'the unintended adverse results of a political action or situation'. However:

[*] If a President gave a speech supporting diversity and it so incensed the Neo-nazi community that they activated their plant in the Secret Service and had him assassinated I doubt people would call that blowback.
[*] If a President gave a speech unequivocally supporting Israel's unprecedented bombing campaign of Gaza and he was later blown up in the office by Hamas people would call that blowback.

I don't know if I'd call either of those blowback. Blowback is something you see coming, for the most part. The degree to which you experience blowback might be difficult to judge upfront, but politician are pretty good at knowing who they are pissing off when they are doing something. The consequences maybe unintentional, I guess, but that doesn't make them unpredictable.

Blowback is closer to "Obama makes a speech supporting diversity and by doing so, loses his Neo-nazi supporters". Not that he has any or would care about losing them.

Blowback is probably best defined as "an expected negative or disadvantageous secondary result of an intended political action."

Chamomile · Post by **Chamomile** » Thu Oct 30, 2014 12:53 am

I would define blowback as the backlash against a political decision that is not organized violence. Drop the "organized" bit if you're okay with riots being classified as non-blowback.

fectin · Post by **fectin** » Thu Oct 30, 2014 1:39 am

Just say that blowback is the unintended adverse political response to a political action. That should cover you.

hyzmarca · Post by **hyzmarca** » Thu Oct 30, 2014 3:07 am

Go with the wikipedia definition. "Blowback is unintended consequences of a covert operation that are suffered by the aggressor."

That is to say, "Hey, that insane revolutionary we gave missiles to just used them to blow up a bus full of nuns" "Were they our nuns?" "Yep."

That's blowback.

The examples given wouldn't be blowback because they're the result of overt actions rather than covert.

virgil · Post by **virgil** » Tue Nov 04, 2014 7:45 pm

What concerns are there for a cat that will eat spicy food and oranges? The internet's not of any help, because apparently everything except dry cat food will kill them.

erik · Post by **erik** » Wed Nov 05, 2014 12:27 am

Waaat, internet of no help? You need to refine your google-fu.

Cats can certainly eat more than just dry food. If the spicy foods have onions/chives/garlic then keep away from cats, otherwise that and oranges are probably okay in moderation. Of course, sometimes cats may eat plants to keep themselves regular, or because they feel like throwing up all over your carpet so look forward to that.

Neither spicy eats nor oranges were included in these lists:
http://pets.webmd.com/cats/ss/slideshow ... -never-eat
http://www.thepetcollective.tv/12-human ... -for-cats/

Apparently some cats like spicy food but eating too much affects them just like people, upset stomach and what not (and their bodymass is a lot less than people, so take that into account).

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Wed Nov 05, 2014 6:21 pm

Ok, so I have a weird problem with my printer.

It prints a test page just fine, at least except for a cut off towards the bottom. But if I try to print from Word, Adobe Acrobat, or Open Office, the paper "jams" and stops advancing. I've tried two separate documents and two different computers, one of which I had to download the driver for in order to test, so it's unlikely to be driver trouble. Thoughts?

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Thu Nov 06, 2014 2:08 am

Another one, related to the D20 campaign setting I'm prodding at:

What is the likelihood of manned planes being phased out in favour of UAVs?

name_here · Post by **name_here** » Thu Nov 06, 2014 3:09 am

Hard to call. My bet is not soon, or at least anyone who does it isn't going to win wars against major powers that don't.

UAVs potentially have superior performance characteristics, although I don't think anyone has yet built one that actually outperforms the F-22, but they also have lots of issues. I'm not sure I trust autonomous ones to reliably decide who to shoot at, and remote-operated ones have control issues. Radio from the ground nearby is susceptible to jamming and satellite control has like a half-second lag at best which seriously undermines superior physical response time. Plus, China has demonstrated the capacity to blow up satellites and I am willing to bet lots of other people at least have blueprints for their own anti-satellite weapons. It's too early to know how exactly that's going to play out, but at least at the moment it seems like shooting satellites down is going to be easier than defending them.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Thu Nov 06, 2014 3:37 am

Yeah, I did a bit of googling and an article made the point that current UAVs are slow and nearly defenseless on their own. Of course, I'm not sure what will happen in the next... oh... 100 years* or when we are able to make real AIs that qualify for personhood...

But hey, in a reskin, elves gotta have a niche, and elf qualities are damned good for pilots.

*So that's another question. I just threw out a number. In the post where I'm writing this stuff up I put in 500 years, but... there's really no reason to go that far into the future, or any guarantee that society would bear much resemblance to our current society that far into the future.

Given that this was inspired by Civilization Beyond Earth, all I'm really looking for is interstellar travel to be something they can push for when the planet is irrevocably on it's way to shit.

radthemad4 · Post by **radthemad4** » Thu Nov 06, 2014 8:50 am

Prak wrote:I'm not sure what will happen in the next... oh... 100 years* or when we are able to make real AIs that qualify for personhood...

If you go the route of human civilization having been destroyed and rebuilt (like Futurama did, several times) you don't have to worry about Earth's actual future and current technology.

Koumei · Post by **Koumei** » Fri Nov 07, 2014 4:16 am

Can anyone suggest a good picture of David Cameron that, while safe for work, paints the picture of him being a bit of a wanker? I'm up to "United Kingdom" for the posters, and it's either him or Thatcher, because if you take away the shitty conservative politicians that are ruining the country, what's left?

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Fri Nov 07, 2014 4:29 am

This seems appropriate for United Kingdom:

Alternatively, this:

TiaC · Post by **TiaC** » Fri Nov 07, 2014 6:37 am

My thoughts ran to:

Because what's more british than funny men in drag?
or if you're boring,

protocolfreak · Post by **protocolfreak** » Fri Nov 07, 2014 8:35 am

David Cameron selfiebombing at Mandela's funeral:

The twitter PR campaign mockery:

DC in his element:

Gurning/Trying to look tough:

...drunk with schoolgirls?

Or there's always opposition leader Ed Miliband trying to eat a bacon sandwich:

DSMatticus · Post by **DSMatticus** » Fri Nov 07, 2014 9:30 am

That is by far the best picture I have ever seen of a man eating a bacon sandwich. It is the Mona Lisa of men eating bacon sandwiches. It belongs in a museum with a pretentious artsy title like "Regret."

Stahlseele · Post by **Stahlseele** » Fri Nov 07, 2014 12:36 pm

Eating Bacon Sandwich on Camera, looking like an Idiot. No Regrets, had Bacon Sandwich.

radthemad4 · Post by **radthemad4** » Fri Nov 07, 2014 7:57 pm

My term project for one of my courses is to make an interactive map of my university. My team mates made a 3D model of the campus and I'm working on a GUI and pathfinding (e.g. show some optimum paths from room X in building Y to room Z in building A via stairs, elevators, secret passages, etc.), but I'm curious about how other people have done this sort of thing. It's supposed to be a mobile app/website thing.

What terms should I google for more info, existing work, existing products, research papers, etc. on this sort of thing?

Stahlseele · Post by **Stahlseele** » Fri Nov 07, 2014 8:01 pm

Isn't that "The Salesman-Problem" ?